A/N: Sorry for a late update. School and all that jazz. I'm starting my internship soon, so things are a bit busy. I mentioned The Internship in this chapter and a song by Nat and Alex Wolff. Well, enjoy.

Bonnie was nervous, scared, anxious, and, in general, not okay. Her hands felt clammy, her heart beating faster. It seemed like forever since the last time she saw Peppermint.

"Woah, you okay there?" Marceline asked, glancing at the girl to her side. She placed one hand on her friend's shoulder, trying to calm her down while driving.

She took a deep breath and nodded, her worried expression proving otherwise.

"Don't get yourself too worked up," Marceline told the girl, "I'm sure that Peppermint wouldn't want to see you like this."

"Have you visited him?" she asked, hoping to get a truthful answer. Everyone had always skirted away from the topic whenever she would inquire about Peppermint.

"Yeah," Marceline answered softly, "but he's not doing so well."

The two finally arrived at the hospital and were escorted to Peppermint's room. Bonnie's eyes widened at the sight of Peppermint on the hospital bed. He looked incredibly pale, his usual rosy face devoid of color. His eyes slowly opened to greet his visitors and smiled fondly, seeing the blonde girl by the doorway.

"Oh, Bonnie," he coughed midway through his sentence, "what a lovely surprise."

She trembled at the sight of him and wanted to rush next to his side, but her feet wouldn't move. Seeing him like this made her heart wrench, a hole opening up in her stomach as her heart twisted itself.

She felt a hand slide into hers and a squeeze of reassurance.

"I'm pretty sure you want to do more than stand there," Marceline smirked at the girl, trying to ease her pain. She pulled Bonnie towards Peppermint, smiling at her instead of smirking.

"How's Stanford been, my dear?" he inquired, his voice still lacking its health.

"It's been great. My professor recommended me to this research group studying cancer cells," she informed him. "I start after break."

Peppermint smiled at the girl, feeling proud of the girl he worked hard to take care of. He genuinely cared for her and wanted nothing but the best. When his times comes, Peppermint worried that she wouldn't be able to move on. He hoped she would have enough will power left by then and that her friends would help her cope.

Time passed as the two chatted, Marcy adding into their conversation as she felt suited. Before they knew it, the nurse was telling them that visitor's hours were done.

The two said their goodbyes and left the hospital, driving directly back to Marceline's apartment.

"Sphagetti and movie sound good for tonight?" Marceline asked the blonde girl in her passenger seat as she pulled up into the lot.

Bonnie nodded, saying, "As long as the movie's good."

The two prepared dinner, Bonnie boiling the pasta while Marcy prepared the sauce, the two resembling a well oiled machine. As they waited, they scrolled through the channels to find a decent movie to watch.

Marcy settled on The Internship, gladly choosing it over Pitch Perfect.

.-

"How can he be so self-absorbed?" Bonnie was like, slurping up some pasta with her fork.

"What do you mean?"

"He focuses on that one mistake he made instead of focusing on helping the team."

"But when you feel like you're useless, it's easy to understand where he's coming from."

"I guess," Bonnie mused, knowing the true weight of Marceline's words. She could remember all the time countless times Marcy's dad put her down and made her feel useless.

The credits played across the TV as Bonnie yawned.

"So, they get the job and are never exposed?" she asked, a little peeved at that part of the movie. A couple of lies could go a long way, but enough to land a job at Google?

"Whatever," she shrugged it off as she helped Marceline clean up their mess.

"It was pretty funny though," Marceline admitted, washing the dishes as Bonnie dried and put them away.

Bonnibel chuckled in agreement.

"What are your plans tomorrow?" Marceline asked, drying off her hands.

"Hm, I don't have anything planned actually."

"Great, then you can come watch my band perform tomorrow," Marceline said with a smile.

"It's not like I have anything better to do," Bonnie remarked, trying to pass it off as nonchalance.

"I'm assuming you're not staying much longer?" Marceline asked, seeing that Bonnie had no real plans for her stay. Plus, her supply of clothing was slowly starting to dwindle.

Bonnie nodded. "I'm leaving in two days, so I can get everything set up for my new research group."

"Taking the risk with Bond again?"

"I live on the edge."

.-

Marceline opened her eyes and glanced at her phone. Three in the morning. Sighing, she threw her legs over the side of the bed and sat up, rubbing her eyes, trying to get the sleep out of them.

She grabbed her acoustic guitar and notebook and headed out to the balcony, making sure to be quiet as not to wake up the pink girl this time. Gently sliding open the glass door, she slipped out and felt the nice gentle breeze. Marceline smiled, letting the cool breeze soothe her as she took a seat in a chair.

Her guitar lay across her lap, her notebook balancing on the arm rest, as she began strumming, easing away her worries and troubles. The blonde girl had come so quickly just to leave just as fast. Things seemed like everything was fine now, but they both knew they still had some unresolved issues.

She wondered if Bonnie was still mad, and if she was, the girl sure knew how to hide it. These past two days have probably been the most confusing for Marceline. But all of her thoughts went out the window as soon as she opened her mouth to sing.

If you make me stay outside
For a glance that lasts the night,
If you put me in distress,
I won't love you any less.
I won't love you any less.

If you twist my fragile heart,
And it breaks into pieces in the dark,
If you leave a dangerous mess,
I won't love you any less.
I won't love you any less.

Marceline stopped, hearing the glass door slide open, revealing the strawberry blonde girl. "Don't tell me I woke you up again," Marceline asked with a sly grin.

Bonnie shook her head no, replying, "Couldn't get much sleep."

"Worried about Peppermint?" she inquired, knowing how much of a worry wart Bonnie could be. "I'm not going to say he's going to be fine, because no one is immortal. But the best thing to do right now is accept it."

Bonnie leaned against the railing, assuming the same position from last night, this time with no cigarette. Her eyes watched the cars driving along, which was barely any, with a tight frown.

"It's hard," she let out broken, tears starting to form at the corner of her eyes. "Being strong is hard."

Marceline placed a hand on her shoulder, not wanting to see the girl cry. "It's hard for him too, Bonnie," she told her, not sure if she was going to worsen the situation. "So, just keep trying for his sake."

Bonnie nodded, a weak smile breaking through her sadness. Wiping her eyes, she took out a cigarette and lit it, offering one to the pale girl who declined the offer.

"Were you singing a love song earlier?"

Marceline turned red and defended, "Yeah, but it's for a friend."

Bonnie raised her eyebrow and signaled her to continue.

"My buddy Jake is proposing to his girlfriend, and he wants to do it with a song," Marceline told her, seeing Bonnie pleased with the answer.

"That's cute," she commented, taking a seat, emotionally and physically exhausted. Marceline followed suit, returning to her earlier position.

"Yeah, they've been keeping this long distance relationship for a while now."

"Oh, where is she now?"

"She was in South Korea for a while, but she moved to California recently. Jake's hoping that she'd move up to Ooo once they get engaged."

"How old is this buddy of yours?"

"Hm, he's turning twenty eight soon. I think Lady is the same age too."

Bonnie's eyes widened. "Lady? Is she super into colors and Korean?"

Marceline gave her a look, slowly nodding her head.

"I met her at a bookstore in Stanford a couple months ago!" she exclaimed, amused at the connection. "Sounds like Jake's a cool guy."

"He is!" Marcy affirmed, smiling at the girl. "I've only met Lady a couple of times, but she seems pretty cool too."

The night went on, and Bonnie was the first to retire leaving Marceline out on the balcony with her guitar and thoughts. Maybe it's best not to bring it up, Marceline settled. She sighed and shuffled back into her own room, attempting to squeeze in a couple of hours of sleep.

"So, you're really going to Stanford aren't you?" Marceline asked, arms crossed behind her head. She turned to look at the girl lying next to her and continued, "Why'd you have to be such a genius?"

Bonnibel nodded, her eyes gazing at the clouds up ahead. It wasn't uncommon for them to just chat at the hills behind their school. "Going there will help further my research," she replied, "but I'm really going to miss you."

The wind blew as a silence ensued between the two of them, the leaves rustling above them. Finally, Marceline spoke, "Yeah, me too."

Her voice cracked a little, devoid of its usual confidence. Bonnibel turned to look at the pale girl, wondering if something was wrong.

"You'll visit, right?" Bonnie asked, her voice coming out softer than intended. She tried again, clearing her throat.

Marceline looked at her with a sad smile played on her lips, almost as if they were apologizing. "Yeah, I'll try."

"You're hiding something," Bonnibel stated, sitting up and crossing her arms, eyes locking with the pale girl Even if they hadn't known each other for a long time, the two had gotten to know each other really well. At least well enough to notice when something isn't right with the other person.

"What? No I'm not," she argued, her gaze breaking off as she looked at the leaves above. "I just," her voice trailed off as she sat up, bring her knees to her chest. "I love you, Bonnie. I'm scared that we'll drift apart."

Marceline opened her eyes and hissed at the sun shining through her curtains. She got up and grumbled about buying thicker ones as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. Quietly sneaking into her kitchen, she opened the fridge and grabbed an apple, glancing at the pink girl in her living room. She was still fast asleep, snoring slightly against the blanket bundled near her face.

She hastily scribbled down a note and placed it on the counter. Grabbing her bag on the way to the door, she headed out to her car.